American Suggests 737 Max Return Pushed Further to Second Half
Skift Take
American Airlines suggests that it's not planning for the Boeing 737 Max to return to flying until the late summer or fall. But the airline is still positive this year will be better than last. That shouldn't be too hard.
American Airlines has pushed out the Boeing 737 Max’s expected return to service until June. But CEO Doug Parker anticipates that the aircraft’s grounding could extend into the late summer or early fall, depriving the airline of a key piece of its network planning during the peak summer travel period.
When the Boeing 737 Max returns is of critical importance to American, which has 24 of the jets parked, and has planned its domestic network around the longer range and increased passenger capacity of the Max. American expected to add another 26 of the 737 Max by the end of this year, and executives remained positive that Boeing will deliver those aircraft quickly after the grounding is lifted.
The Boeing 737 Max has been grounded worldwide in the wake of two accidents, in 2018 and 2019, linked to malfunctioning flight-control software. Recently, Boeing said it had identified new issues with the Max that could delay regulators approving the aircraft’s return to service. Boeing has warned airlines that r
